Help Gollihur and new standard basses

theshadow2001 · #1 05-12-2006, 08:25 AM

Hey Im a lefty who's considering getting an upright bass. In fact I most likely will get one at some stage.

I've done some research here and it seems bob gollihur basses are quite respectibal instruments as are the new standards.

Im just wondering how bobs fully carved offering compares to a new standard laminate and hybrid models.

Would you think the new standard bass is better than bobs carved one inspite of it being laminate?

Also will the new standard need as much(compared to bobs) if any extra work done by a luthier to setup or is it playable straight from the crate?

Oh and if others can think of some other similar quality lefty instruments Im not considering please mention them. Right handed instruments are a big no no for me. So don't bother trying to convince me otherwise.

Sorry if I ask silly questions I'm new to this side of things. Anyways any help is appreciated.

theshadow2001 · #2 06-12-2006, 05:34 PM

So does anyone have an opinion on how the two compare?

mchildree · #3 06-12-2006, 05:45 PM

My hunch is that you won't find many people who have owned or played both. I own a New Standard Cleveland ply bass, as do lots of other people here. I love it, and unless something about the setup just doesn't work for you, you won't have to do a thing to one of these. Arnold will probably communicate with you in some manner to get the setup like you prefer if you aren't able to visit his shop.

As for Bob Gollihur, I've done lots of business with him, as have many people here. His rep is stellar for very good reason.

Since both these guys are available for your email, why don't you contact them to ask what kind of setup you can expect with a bass purchase from them?

theshadow2001 · #4 06-12-2006, 06:14 PM

Since I first made this thread I have contacted everyone at their respective companies. I was impressed with their speedy replies. All questions were answered well. They all seem to be good guys to do business with.

I think your right though, I doubt alot of people would have experience with both instruments.

Im leaning towards new standard laminate but Im thinking this is a ridiculous amount of money (for me) to spend on an unseen instrument especially going on the word of strangers(after tax, import duty, the lefty penalty price and other things needed for shipping, costs start to get quite high). On the other hand (teehee) where else can I get a decent lefty?

Buying a bass from bob would be alot less expensive and more justifiable financially on the basis of the whole unseen thing. But I would have to be driven to god knows where to get it set up properly which adds alot of hassle and drives the price of his instrument up further. On top of that Im wondering would I be getting as good an instrument as I could.

People with bob's bass say they're great as do those with new standards. Quite the pickle indeed!

I have yet to do research on european makers or even if theres any Irish luthiers who would build for me.

Marcus Johnson · #5 06-12-2006, 07:23 PM

I can come pretty close, I've played the Gollihur bass, and I own a New Standard La Scala hybrid.

The Gollihur bass is really nice for the price. It responds well throughout its range. It appears to be well made and finished, and the one I played was set up nicely. It had a decent amount of acoustic volume. In comparison to the NS, it's heavy. Not a bad bass by any means. And dealing with Bob Gollihur is one of the great pleasures in the bass business.

The New Standards are on another level, in my opinion. True, mine's a hybrid, but there are lots of laminate NS owners here who are really in love with these things. Playability is second to no bass I've ever run across. The materials and finish are exemplary. My particular bass makes scary amounts of acoustic volume. The setup and fingerboard are perfect. By contrast, it feels like a feather when I pick it up, very lightweight and "alive". Doing business with Arnold Schnitzer and Wil De Sola is terrific. They are really good at giving you exactly what your playing style requires.

So there it is. Both are good choices. I personally feel that the NS bass is the best affordable working man's bass out there at the moment.

jlilley · #6 06-12-2006, 07:51 PM

There seems to be a number of treads on Stentor basses. I have no experience with them but they seem to be easy to come by in the UK.
John

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #7 06-12-2006, 08:26 PM

I've recently posted soundclips of both the (New Standard) LaScala hybrid and laminate basses (I own one of each). I can recommend either without reservation. On one of the sidebar ads for the New Standards, there is a quote by Todd Coolman stating something along the lines of "within its class, it is simply unbeatable". I agree completely with that. If Arnold and Wil are willing to build you a lefty version, I'd say it's a safe bet that you'd be damned hard pressed to do any better for the money, and I've yet to meet a single person who has anything bad to say about these basses. They are in a class of their own.

I've not played one of Bob's basses, but I can tell you that I sold a fully carved heavy Czech bass in order to buy the laminate LaScala, and I consider it a wise move. I should add, though, that just about any bass will need some setup work done to get it to where it feels right to you. Good luck, and happy hunting!

mcnaire2004 · #8 06-12-2006, 09:29 PM

Why not play a reg bass over a lefty? I know plenty of lefty bassist that play just fine on a reg style bass. Really the only difference I see is the strings backwards and the bridge backwards.

Noam Elron · #9 06-12-2006, 10:35 PM

I'm one of those lefty bassists that play a regular instrument (I believe the only one on talkbass), i.e. the G string is the closest to my body. It all started simply because I did not want to make a big initial investment on an instument which I did not know if I wanted to play (I played slab then). I took out a rental DB (a "normal" one) for two months and saw it was quite easy getting the hang of it. I've been playing DB since and making constant progress.
It's not merely a big initial investment, because if you decide DB is not for you you're going to have a rough time unloading a lefty instrument. (contact me - I may want to make the switch

)

Bruce Lindfield · #10 06-13-2006, 02:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlilley

There seems to be a number of treads on Stentor basses. I have no experience with them but they seem to be easy to come by in the UK.
John

Yes - I looked at getting a Bulgarian bass and eventually I got a Stentor, as I was able to try them and pay by interest-free credit in the UK!!

From what is said around here, the New Standards sound great, but I am very wary about importing something as fragile as a DB from the US to the UK!

First there's the cost of shipping, the fact that customs will hold it up have a look, play about with it and slap on another charge etc.

Then if it gets damage in transit, that would be expensive to fix - what do I do? send it back at great expense again, get it fixed locally - who pays, shipper or retailer? What if there is a disagreement about how much repairs costs - given exchange rates etc. etc.

It's just a potential mightmare to me - but if the "shadow" does decide to import from US to Ireland I'd be intrested in hearing details of how it goes!!

nicklloyd · #11 06-13-2006, 12:41 PM

I've had to do extra neck thinning and additional setup work on the Bulgarian basses.

brutuscheezcake · #12 06-13-2006, 02:45 PM

hey there,

i basically in the same boat as mike. i have dealt with (all hail) Bob and in every instance been pleased. his products and service are a boon to the bass community at large and well deserves the ALL HAIL BOB moniker he has. that being said i havent played one of the bulgarians.

on the other hand....

i currently own a cleveland laminate and a la scala hybrid. both are fantastic instruments with great setup jobs. i cant say enough good things about either bass but this... i bought both basses (a year apart) without the benefit of hearing them in person and have not regretted that at all. i get tons of compliments on both basses. looks incredible, sounds even better.

there are clips of other TB'ers playing their New Standard basses if you want to hear them. look at the TB sampler stuff in the double bass forums. my favorite? funny you should ask.... Chris Fitzgerald doing frank loessers "i've never been in love before".

that helped me decide on New Standard.

i am currently getting a fund started for the next one ( aesbass.com ), the handmade Schnitzer/DeSola. hopefully i will hear it before i place the order, but hey... if not, oh well.

i really love my New Standards.

truly me,

simon

theshadow2001 · #13 06-13-2006, 04:32 PM

OK, Well thanks to everyone for replying. Everyone's had something decent to input here and has given me different angles to look at and experiences to take from. My decision is still very much in the perliminary stages (as is my financial status

) This is one I've really got to take my time over. I have yet to speak to an old teacher of mine who plays bass in a jazz band in town. He might be able to guide me a bit more on the subject.

Bruce, I believe that most upright players here usually travel to europe to get their instruments. So left handed or not I think getting a bass here will involve a bit of shipping.

I wonder would it be cheaper for me to get a cheap flight over and bring it back myself......

CamMcIntyre · #14 06-13-2006, 05:28 PM

I realize i'm sort of late to this thread, but hey. I'm another one of the NS players. I've got the laminated Cleveland. I'm not sure if you're hip to Rob Amster or not [plays w/Kurt Elling among others] but-he remarked to me that he really likes the sound of my bass during my jury for school.

I've gotten a few main comments on the bass-it's very loud, the cellist in the musical i played for heard my bass for the first time in rehearsel [we work together at the CSO Store too] and the first words out of her mouth were "WoW-you're bass is loud", when people play it-they say that it has a huge body, and then the other most common comment is on how light the bass is.

I'd much rather carry around my Cleveland than my double electric bag w/my Ray5 & Jazz Bass in it.

Good luck with the whole importing thing. With the NS basses-you won't be dissapointed in the build quality or sound.

I've never played one of Bob G's basses.

take it easy.

Bruce Lindfield · #15 06-14-2006, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theshadow2001

Bruce, I believe that most upright players here usually travel to europe to get their instruments. So left handed or not I think getting a bass here will involve a bit of shipping.

I wonder would it be cheaper for me to get a cheap flight over and bring it back myself......

Well it will add to the cost and "worry factor" ...

I felt pretty safe with the Stentor, as it was built/put together in the next county and then they transported it by road.

I've thought about going to Europe and bringing back a bass - but there's no way to get it in hand luggage!!

And then what?

Most flights have limits on baggage and when I've travelled to Europe for holidays, the luggage gets thrown about very badly - always comes on to the carousel looking very battered and dirty - I've often looked out the window at airports and seen the baggage handlers throwing cases off the plane onto trucks on the ground - now if your bass is thrown off first and then about 50 heavy cases are thrown on top of it...

theshadow2001 · #16 06-14-2006, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

Well it will add to the cost and "worry factor" ...

I felt pretty safe with the Stentor, as it was built/put together in the next county and then they transported it by road.

I've thought about going to Europe and bringing back a bass - but there's no way to get it in hand luggage!!

And then what?

Most flights have limits on baggage and when I've travelled to Europe for holidays, the luggage gets thrown about very badly - always comes on to the carousel looking very battered and dirty - I've often looked out the window at airports and seen the baggage handlers throwing cases off the plane onto trucks on the ground - now if your bass is thrown off first and then about 50 heavy cases are thrown on top of it...

This is all very true. I would imagine that shipping companies wouldn't be too much kinder either. I know the guys who do this every day don't give a crap about what's in the box. Fragile sticker or no fragile sticker. There are indicators that can be bought that will indicate rough handeling. But Im sure that wouldn't be much in the way of disuading them from throwing a crate around.

Bubble wrap is a fantastic material though. If I was to get something shipped I would ask that the bass be covered head to toe in lots of layers of it. It's a great shock absorber as well as protecting from scratches and nicks. In fact I believe a double bass covered in bubble wrap within a sturdy crate could with stand quite a bit of mistreatment during shipping.

Another thing to look at is people like bob gollihur ship basses regularly all over the world. It seems to be workin out quite well for him....for the most part.

Also an agreement would have to be reached between me and the seller, whoever it might be, to deal with unthinkable situations that might arise.

Marcus Johnson · #17 06-14-2006, 06:31 PM

My New Standard, packed in a plywood box (built by Arnold) and a zillion foam peanuts, arrived here in perfect shape. I don't know how different it would be to the UK; just relating my experience. It's hard to believe that anyone could abuse parcels any more than the goons out here do.

Bruce Lindfield · #18 06-15-2006, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theshadow2001

This is all very true. I would imagine that shipping companies wouldn't be too much kinder either. I know the guys who do this every day don't give a crap about what's in the box. Fragile sticker or no fragile sticker. There are indicators that can be bought that will indicate rough handeling. But Im sure that wouldn't be much in the way of disuading them from throwing a crate around.

Bubble wrap is a fantastic material though. If I was to get something shipped I would ask that the bass be covered head to toe in lots of layers of it. It's a great shock absorber as well as protecting from scratches and nicks. In fact I believe a double bass covered in bubble wrap within a sturdy crate could with stand quite a bit of mistreatment during shipping.

Another thing to look at is people like bob gollihur ship basses regularly all over the world. It seems to be workin out quite well for him....for the most part.

Also an agreement would have to be reached between me and the seller, whoever it might be, to deal with unthinkable situations that might arise.

I wasn't talking so much about shipping - as you say, the problems can all be dealt with - just add time+money!

I was more responding to your suggestion/idea of flying to Europe yourself and bringing a bass back!

theshadow2001 · #19 06-15-2006, 02:04 PM

Ken thanks again for your help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

I wasn't talking so much about shipping - as you say, the problems can all be dealt with - just add time+money!

I was more responding to your suggestion/idea of flying to Europe yourself and bringing a bass back!

Yeah it would be dodgy enough flying your spand new bass around the place. Maybe fly to europe and ship back??? Its time like these I wish I was a harmonica player they're just so much easier to move around

Only kidding!

Bruce Lindfield · #20 06-16-2006, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theshadow2001

Ken thanks again for your help.

Yeah it would be dodgy enough flying your spand new bass around the place. Maybe fly to europe and ship back???

Yeah I suppose if you went yourself, you (as in 'one') could try basses, find the one that best suits your needs, discuss setup issues and then get it shipped back!

This might be a plan for the future!!